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Pivot & charts shortcut

Refresh the active pivot table

Alt + F5 on Windows, Option + F5 on Mac.

CommonDifficulty 1050 · Capable
Practice · 2 questions →

When to use it

Refreshes the active pivot table from its source.

The shape of it

Windows
Alt + F5
Mac
Option + F5

Worked examples

  • Refresh a pivot

    Click the pivot, Alt + F5 → New rows and changes appear

    After editing the source.

  • Refresh everything

    Ctrl + Alt + F5 → Every pivot and connection

    Refresh All.

  • Refresh on open

    PivotTable Options, Data, Refresh data when opening → Automatic

    Set and forget.

Worth knowing

  • Pivots read a cached copy; they never update on their own.
  • If new rows are missing after refresh, the source range did not include them; use a Table.
  • Refresh resets manual column widths unless preserved in options.

Where it goes wrong

  • Formatting applied directly to cells is lost on refresh.
  • Grouped dates can ungroup after refresh if the field changes type.

Related

Alt, N, VAlt + F1F11Alt + Shift + →Ctrl + Shift + *

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